We went to Dickson Shops today to do some grocery shopping, specifically speaking, Asian grocery shopping. Generally, we have lowered our expectation on Canberra’s China Town to an incredible low level.

To my belief, I think it’s not even close to a proper China Town, like what they have in Brisbane or Sydney. All we have in Canberra are 3 Chinese grocery shops and a few Chinese restaurants along the street. You don’t have choices at all here to select which roasted BBQ ducks are better and which restaurant you like more than others. There are so limited choices that you have to get on with your life here and what you could find here. And that, for the first half year after we came, was very painful. But let me tell you, you will get used to it sooner or later, and you will learn to let yourself believe that “it’s better than nothing” in no time.

But today we actually arrived there with a bigger disappointment. One of three grocery shops is temporarily closed for renovation (not too bad, eh?) The only traditional Chinese medicine pharmacy in Canberra has closed and on lease for another shop now. The last Yum-Cha restaurant in Canberra, New Shanghai, has closed down since this January. The whole street is like an abandoned kid, lonely, quiet and lack of atmosphere. I really don’t see the charm to come here eating or shopping anymore.

We had a chat with one shop’s owner. The couple said their business has been badly affected as well by closing-down of New Shanghai. The shop is getting so old but they don’t want to spend at least 100 thousand bucks to renovate it as all business has to stop and they can’t predict what’s going to happen after they finish the renovation. It’s just getting harder and harder for them.

I guess it’s getting harder and harder for us as well. The price for tofu has gone up almost one dollar for each pack. Vegetable oil has gone up about 15 dollars per bucket. Rice is almost 9 dollars more than the Sunrise at Woolworth. Lu Bok is 2 dollars per stick…..

What a wonderful life that those Sydney Chinese people have! Bastards! They probably have no idea how lucky they are. However, I at least found Zao Lu Zhi in the shop today. That’s something that Mom had been looking everywhere in Beijing’s supermarkets. I’ve got it!!!